Archive for July, 2009

The Packers signed the first of their two first round draft picks Clay Matthews to a deal this morning.  The linebacker from USC was signed to a 5-year deal worth $10 million that could be worth up to $13.275 million if all incentives are met.  Matthews was the 26th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, after  Ted Thompson swapped picks with the New England Patriots who had previously acquired the pick from the Baltimore Ravens who traded up to grab offensive tackle Michael Oher out of Ole Miss. The signing of Matthews means that ninth-overall pick B.J. Raji is the [...]

According to a report by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, former Packers and New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre has told Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress that he will not come out of retirement for an eighteenth season in the NFL.  Childress told the newspaper that mental and physical grind of the game was the reason he decided to stay retired.  Favre’s decision was due Thursday, the day Vikings players are supposed to report to camp in Mankato, MN.  This announcement (supposedly) ends Favre’s comeback and revenge attempt, in which he had bicep surgery to try to prepare for the upcoming season while [...]

With the release of Michael Vick and his possible reinstatement, where I believe he will be reinstated, it begs the question, where will he end up.  Are any of the NFC North teams a possibility? Chicago Bears The Bears brought in a franchise quarterback during the offseason in Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos in a massive trade.  The Bears now have a face to the franchise on offense to go with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs on defense.  Although I said that Bears receivers are bad a few posts ago (a statement I still stand behind), Cutler makes them [...]

We all know that Terrell Owens loves himself some TO.  We also know now that TO likes himself some champagne, strawberries, hot tubs, and real estate agents. TO’s new reality show on VH1, “The TO Show,” confirms everything we already knew about the Buffalo Bills wide receiver.  He’s selfish, likes to be the center of attention, and doesn’t really listen to anyone else.  The pilot episode last night centered around TO’s two publicists (who I refer to as his “handlers”), Kita and Monique trying to change TO’s image from TO to Terrell.  I don’t think giving the entire world a [...]

On a recent radio show, Packers receiver Donald Driver was asked a question about the receivers for the Chicago Bears, and he stated the obvious: “They don’t have a receiver,” Driver said on the “Waddle & Silvy” show on ESPN 1000. “They don’t have any true receivers that step up and play and take their team to where they want to go. “I love Devin [Hester], and Devin knows that, but Devin plays [defensive back]. I don’t think he’s just a solid receiver right now. He may become one as years go on, but it doesn’t happen overnight.” I’m not [...]

In the next two weeks, I’m going to take a look at the 10 most important players for the Green Bay Packers in the 2009 NFL season.  They may not be the best players, but their roles have a distinct impact on how far the team can go. Is Justin Harrell a bust?  Ask any Packers fan and they’ll most likely say yes.  The third-year pro and 2007 first-round pick has been hounded by injuries for the later part of his college career and first two years of his pro career.  Was he worth that first-round pick?  So far, no.  [...]

In the story involving Green Bay’s neighbors to the north, Brett Favre has set a self-imposed deadline of July 30 to decide whether or not he will return in 2009 to play for the Minnesota Vikings.  It’s later than the Vikings would have liked, but it does give Favre plenty of time to decide whether or not he can commit to the season.  Favre also wants to make sure he will be playing (mostly) pain-free and will be able to contribute positively to the team.  The quarterback desperately wants to avoid a situation like he had down the stretch in [...]

The Packers are stepping it up into this technological age, joining both Twitter (@packers) and Facebook.  Both of these help push the Packers into a new age where many other sports teams have information on both of these social networking sites. While it is nice to show that you’re a fan of the Packers or to get Packers updates whenever they become available, it seems to me that neither of these tools will provide any new insight into the inner workings of the Packers.  As of right now, both sites are basically newsfeeds for new stories going up on Packers.com.  [...]

In the next two weeks, I’m going to take a look at the 10 most important players for the Green Bay Packers in the 2009 NFL season.  They may not be the best players, but their roles have a distinct impact on how far the team can go. In 2008, Donald Driver finally ceded the title of Packers No. 1 receiver to the young and up-and-coming Greg Jennings. Some said that Driver’s age was finally catching up with him. Others said that it was because Aaron Rodgers favored Jennings, while Driver was Brett Favre‘s favorite receiver. All of this being [...]

In the next two weeks, I’m going to take a look at the 10 most important players for the Green Bay Packers in the 2009 NFL season.  They may not be the best players, but their roles have a distinct impact on how far the team can go. Going into 2008, Nick Collins was under the radar.  Most only new him as that safety from Bethune-Cookman that Ted Thompson drafted after drafting Aaron Rodgers.  Well, like Rodgers, Collins had his breakout year in 2008. Collins’ accomplishments from 2008 are a laundry list: Pro Bowl starter, Second Team All-Pro (AP), seven [...]